{"id":9606,"date":"2023-02-09T13:44:24","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T13:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=5550179"},"modified":"2023-02-09T13:44:24","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T13:44:24","slug":"coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really\/","title":{"rendered":"Coloradans can now buy weed from a vending machine (yes, really)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>Cannabis consumers who stop by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.terrapincarestation.com\/\">Terrapin Care Station dispensary<\/a> in Aurora can now buy weed the same way they might buy their favorite munchies: from a vending machine.<\/p>\n<p>In early February, the company installed what\u2019s technically called an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acekiosks.com\/\">Automated Cannabis Experience (ACE)<\/a>, a large machine that enables customers to order marijuana products via touch screen and dispenses them ready to be taken home. Terrapin Care Station developed ACE in partnership with Canadian vending machine company BMC Universal Technologies, billing it as the first fully automated cannabis kiosk on the market.<\/p>\n<p>The Boulder-based company first unveiled the dispenser at MJBizCon trade show in November, where industry personnel and avid enthusiasts lined up daily to try it out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was crazy, it felt like we had an amusement park ride there,\u201d said spokesperson Peter Marcus.<\/p>\n<p>Locals who want to see the new technology for themselves can head to Terrapin Care Station at 11091 E. Mississippi Ave. in Aurora, which boasts the only ACE in use at this time. When they arrive, they still need to check in with and show proof they are at least 21 years old to a dispensary representative to be granted entry.<\/p>\n<p>But once inside the pot shop, they can complete their purchases without ever interacting with a budtender.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5550237\" class=\"wp-caption alignright size-article_inline_half\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really.jpg\" alt=\"Terrapin Care Station dispensary in Aurora is now home to the country's first fully automated cannabis vending machine. Developed in partnership BMC Universal Technologies, the machine enables customers to order marijuana products via touch screen and dispenses them ready to be taken home. The Automated Cannabis Experience (ACE), as it's formally known, grabs, bags, seals and places a verification sticker on each order, making for a speedy and contactless purchase. And because it's integrated with Colorado's seed-to-sale tracking system, it's also compliant with state and municipal regulations. (Provided by Terrapin Care Station)\" width=\"655\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TDP-Z-cannabisvending-04.jpg?fit=310%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 310w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Automated Cannabis Experience (ACE), as it\u2019s formally known, grabs, bags, seals and places a verification sticker on each order, making for a speedy and contactless purchase. (Provided by Terrapin Care Station)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Customers simply walk up to the machine, scan their ID, and use a touch screen to peruse the menu and fill their digital basket. The ACE can hold up to 1,152 products, Marcus said, and because it\u2019s refrigerated, consumers can order concentrates that require being stored at a certain temperature, as well as flower, edibles, vape oil cartridges and other items.<\/p>\n<p>Once ready to check out, customers pay using cash \u2013 the machine does not currently accept debit cards \u2013 and watch through a 38-by-30-inch glass window as the ACE grabs, bags, seals and places a purchase sticker on their order before dispensing it like your average vending machine.<\/p>\n<h4>Hopes to spark a revolution<\/h4>\n<p>If the concept sounds familiar, that\u2019s because in 2020, The Denver Post wrote about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/08\/17\/new-weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-so-cannabis-purchases-can-now-be-contactless\/\">another cannabis vending machine that debuted in Colorado<\/a>, called Anna. According to Marcus, the two machines have significant differences, most notably that the ACE machine is integrated with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metrc.com\/partner\/colorado\/\">Metrc<\/a>, Colorado\u2019s seed-to-sale marijuana tracking system, which makes it compliant with state and municipal regulations.<\/p>\n<p>Matt Frost, founder CEO of Anna, couldn\u2019t be reached for comment, but representatives of Strawberry Fields and Star Buds dispensaries, where Anna first rolled out, said the machines were short-lived primarily because of compliance issues. Ben Tafoya, supervisor at the Star Buds in southeast Aurora, said transactions were ultimately quicker the old-fashioned way.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5550238\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft size-article_inline_half\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really-1.jpg\" alt=\"Terrapin Care Station dispensary in Aurora is now home to the country's first fully automated cannabis vending machine. Developed in partnership BMC Universal Technologies, the machine enables customers to order marijuana products via touch screen and dispenses them ready to be taken home. The Automated Cannabis Experience (ACE), as it's formally known, grabs, bags, seals and places a verification sticker on each order, making for a speedy and contactless purchase. And because it's integrated with Colorado's seed-to-sale tracking system, it's also compliant with state and municipal regulations. (Provided by Terrapin Care Station)\" width=\"4249\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really-1.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coloradans-can-now-buy-weed-from-a-vending-machine-yes-really-1.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TDP-Z-cannabisvending-01.jpg?fit=310%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 310w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Developed in partnership BMC Universal Technologies, the machine enables customers to order marijuana products via touch screen and dispenses them ready to be taken home. And because it\u2019s integrated with Colorado\u2019s seed-to-sale tracking system, it\u2019s also compliant with state and municipal regulations. (Provided by Terrapin Care Station)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cEverything has to be accounted for and everything has to be stickered after it\u2019s been purchased to prove there was a legal transaction made, and so someone had to be standing at the vending machine at all times,\u201d Tafoya said. \u201cIt was not as successful as we wanted it to be, so it didn\u2019t stick around long. I think we only did a handful of transactions out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Terrapin Care Station eventually plans to install ACE machines at its five other dispensaries on the Front Range, Marcus said the company\u2019s long-term goal is to sell the technology to other \u201cstruggling\u201d retailers throughout the state and country.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis sales hit record highs during the pandemic \u2014 accounting for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2021\/02\/09\/colorado-cannabis-2020-record-sales-year-2-billion\/\">about $2.2 billion in 2020<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2022\/02\/10\/colorado-marijuana-cannabis-record-sales-2021\/\">another $2.2 billion in 2021<\/a>, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/cdor.colorado.gov\/data-and-reports\/marijuana-data\/marijuana-sales-reports\">the Marijuana Enforcement Division,<\/a> but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2022\/02\/10\/colorado-marijuana-cannabis-record-sales-2021\/\">have since plummeted<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, sales from January through November, the latest data available, totaled about $1.6 billion \u2014 a 21% decrease compared to the same period a year prior.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, many dispensaries are also experiencing the same staffing crisis plaguing other sectors of the service industry, Marcus said. Adding an automated check-out experience can not only help fill the gaps on staff, but also speed up the purchasing experience for customers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlus it\u2019s kind of a fun experience, not going to lie. It\u2019s something that potentially draws new consumers in,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>If it catches on, the folks at Terrapin Care Station believe ACE could revolutionize the industry and pop up in places where traditional vending machines reside. Chris Woods, Terrapin Care Station\u2019s CEO, called it \u201ca genuinely game-changing way for consumers to purchase cannabis,\u201d in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not crazy to think in a few years from now \u2013 with changes in regulation \u2013 you might see these at Union Station, or like ATM expresses where you swipe cards to get into the use the ATM,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/newsletter-signup\/in-the-know\">Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>Cannabis consumers who stop by Terrapin Care Station dispensary in Aurora can now buy weed the same way they might buy their favorite munchies: from a vending machine. Yes, really. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5062,52,7347,6811,376,2435,7938,4995,77,9,5019,5236,6845,8300,1,3,5219,7072,6923,61,1736],"tags":[5063,2632,7348,6816,2954,2436,7939,4996,2655,5022,5238,6846,8301,5234,7073,6924],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9606"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9606\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}